Community through Diverse Lenses
The Epic of Gilgamesh comes from the city of Sumer near the Persian Gulf. The epic poem was shaped by the time in which it was conceived; by events of the time and by the societal norms of ancient Sumer. For centuries the story of Gilgamesh was passed from person to person, and from family to family orally. With each telling, the lives of the narrators influenced the storys contents and occurrences. Because of its very subjectively influenced origins this epic is truly a testament to the dynamics and details of Sumerian culture. The lives of these ancient people seem to be centered on almost exactly the same ideals we as modern humans gravitate toward. Order, safety, and progress were obviously very important in the time of Gilgamesh, just as they are today. The community ideal defined encompasses all of these things.
The same can honestly be said for the story of Genesis. People, even in the earliest civilizations, crave structure, protection, and strong leadership. The works that we will be discussing play a major part in revealing to modern readers how different yet shockingly similar we are when compared to our ancestors.
Within Genesis, every group represents the community in which it lives. When parts of the community become dysfunctional, the community as a whole begins to fall apart. In essence the family group symbolizes the opportunity to perpetuate growth, rather than simply increasing the number of people in a household. In times of crisis and times of joy, families are relied on each other to strengthen themselves as a community. Thus, family is something more than a household unit; it is a valuable commodity in this culture.
The creation account in Genesis brings to light the fact that man is not created as an solitary individual: God created mankind in his image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them (Gen. 1:27). As ordained by God, the first human beings began a relationship with one another, each with a partner of the other sex. The Bible sustains that man must exist in relation with God, with the world, and with other humans. In accord with this concept, man is not an isolated individual but a part of a group, a community, however big or small it may be. Community is a central experience for all human beings, we crave to be around other people and to have a since of belonging, the society as outlined by The Bible.
According to the Genesis, a family is not a man-made institution, but rather, an original idea from God himself. The family structure is a carefully crafted concept that is blessed by God. According to ancient biblical text, society is made up of groups of individuals because humans function most efficiently as part of a community. "God blessed them," asserts Genesis 1:28, continuing, "He said to them, 'Have children and increase your numbers.' It is clear that brotherhood and family ties are what bound this people together as a whole.
The most significant parts of Sumerian culture, on the other hand, revolved around important warrior figures and their impact on the safety of society. The most important figure to be analyzed within the poem is the protagonist from. This epic portrays the journeys of the great warrior, Gilgamesh; chronicling how his victories, both materialistic and internal, ultimately determine his authority. This relays information about the ancient Mesopotamian society in many ways, including the role of the cultures warriors and the dual-nature of Gilgamesh as a character.
Apparent from the beginning of the Epic of Gilgamesh is how central of a role the military played in ancient Mesopotamian society. Soldiers are believed to have topped the social hierarchy. The people of Uruk readily accepted Gilgamesh as their superior on the grounds that he was a supernatural being. There is nobody among the kings of teeming humanity who can compare with himBelet-ili designed the shape of his body, made his form perfectIn Uruk the Sheepfold he would walk about, show himself superior, his head held high like a wild bull. (Gilgamesh 2) The previous description validates the belief that physical strength, bodily perfection, and bravery are the markers of success and heroism. This admiration and vanity directly stems from the earliest Sumerian governments. In the day of Gilgamesh it was common that governments base their decisions to benefit the community as a whole. The safety of his city seems to be Gilgameshs main objective. He exemplifies this when he discovers a danger to his community in the bull of heaven. Gilgamesh defeats the beast, which descended from the skies, in order to protect his city.
Gilgamesh displays this same idea when adventuring into the Pine Forest where he even goes so far as to seeks out Humbaba, in order to totally eliminate the possibility of evil against his city. Because of its valuable location and recourses, citizens of Mesopotamia would protect their home no matter what the cost. Gilgameshs values and qualities represent those of the ideal man. He holds a great deal of power and is blessed with a high-ranking status (king); furthermore, he is believed to be two-thirds god. Gilgamesh, on the other hand, also displays a great amount of hubris.
The strength of these heroes and the gods demonstrates what kind of leadership was valued and revered in Sumerian culture. The people of Sumer valued bravery and strength along with honor above all else. In fact, this makes clear the reasons why Uruk featured Gilgamesh as such a powerful hero. In contrast, Gilgamesh is sometimes depicted as brave and valiant, but he also has moments of extremely cowardly behavior. Even though Gilgamesh presents himself as a perfect, fearless warrior, he has duality in his nature.
In addition to displaying weakness and brute strength, Gilgamesh also shows unkindness and selfless sacrifice for his people, for he was always their king but not always their shepherd. His domineering behaviors lead Gilgamesh to rape the daughters and wives of his own community. While far from perfect, the ideal warrior fought to protect the community in times of crisis and jeopardy. Proving the bravest of people at times show fear, even the strongest can be outfought, and even caring rulers can abuse power Gilgamesh sets his societys parameters for the idyllic man. It is clear that Mesopotamian communities exhibited a great amount of pride for their city, and most of all, their leaders. The citizens believed that their deities intervened in human affairs and heroes were put on pedestals. After Gilgameshs death it came to be known that he was in actuality an equal to the gods.
Gilgamesh yearned to be a physically great warrior, an immortal, until the end of time as opposed to just fading into history or legend. Although it was not actually a physical death he feared, Gilgamesh was afraid of the destruction of his glory and legacy. This reflects the values of this antique community. Honor and significance were obviously important aspects of life in the time Gilgameshs story was popular. To be forgotten was to die a true and permanent death; immortality could be achieved through the continuation of ones community and legacy.
* Ferry, David Gilgamesh: A New Rendering in English Verse 1992
* Genesis: King James Version 2009
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